Service envelope



J. A. COOKE ssnvrcs ENVELDPE Filed llay 14, 1957 Nov. 18, 1958 9 may 1?. 0052' arrow? United States Patent SERVICE ENVELOPE John A. Cooke, Lynbrook, N. Y., assignor to Berlin & Jones Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y.

Application May 14, 1957, Serial No. 659,173

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-72) This invention relates to envelopes and the like serving for combined use for receiving inserts of different kinds, and particularly to envelopes capable of receiving inserts of different sizes in special relative positions.

The main object of my invention is to provide a special envelop having primarily a plurality of compartments for receiving several inserts independently of each other with different significance for each insert.

An ancillary object of the invention is to have such an envelop adapted to receive independent inserts which are keyed together or otherwise related in some way, which may be detected even when fully inserted into the compartments in said envelop.

Another object of this invention is to have an envelop of the stated character which has a front window for viewing a name and address upon one insert and a rear window for viewing certain related indicia upon a second tnsert, each insert occupying a separate compartment.

A further object is to have an envelop with a full size compartment with a front window and at least one relatively smaller rear compartment with a smaller rear window for receiving a large insert such as a so-called IBM card in the large compartment and a gas credit or other smaller card in the rear compartment allowing either card to be first inserted and the other later according to some predetermined relation between the cards.

It is even an object to have such an envelop provided with a further blind rear compartment in addition to the rear compartment having the rear window to widen the scope of use of the envelop.

A practical object of the invention is, of course to make the envelop of a single piece of paper or web material so dimensioned and folded as to result in three compartments, one large front compartment and two smaller rear compartments.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate clear comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing'forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a service envelop made according to my invention and embodying the same in a practical form, showing a front address window of conventional character;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the same envelop, showing the rear smaller window and a small insert with indicia visible through the latter window, as well as another position of the insert shown in phantom view;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section as taken on line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical section as taken on line 4-4 in the same Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a plan or developed view of a sheet of paper or web material from which the envelop is made by appropriately folding and pasting the same, the whole being seen from the inner side of the sheet.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts and features.

In various fields of commerce and business, envelopes with front address windows are widely used for receiving enclosures such as letters and cards. When such conventional envelopes are used to receive inserts such as cards of different characters and sizes together, confusion readily arises and losses may occur, as'well as inconvenience as an overall condition. Moreover, when different enclosures and inserts are to be introduced for special purposes, it is often highly desirable to be able to view whichever insert is first in place within the envelop and thereafter to insert some larger or different insert piece according to what is noted on the first insert. This allows special business arrangements to be made and various.

business schemes operated in convenient manner, but it has vainly been attempted to find an envelop on the market with the scope and utility of the forementioned features and requirements.

In view of such a lack on the market while also certain business schemes and arrangements call for solution in this field, it has occurred to me that a novel service envelop of the character outlined should be available, and after due consideration, I have succeeded in producing such a convenient service envelop, which will now be described in detail in the following.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, an envelop, generally indicated at 6 has a more or less conventional front panel 7 with a window opening 8 provided with a translucent or transparent Window pane or sheet 9, fully shown in Figure 5 as pasted on the inside of the envelop. This allows the address of the party intended to receive the envelop to be seen through the window when a card or other insert bearing the address or name of said party is inserted into the envelop. To form the latter, not only front panel 7 is used, but a rear panel 10 connected along the bottom is folded up at the rear, while two end fiaps 12 and 13 are folded inward toward each other at the ends 14 and 15 beneath the rear panel 10. Along the bottom 11 and at the ends, the folds are, of course simple, direct folds, while at the upper limit 16 of the front panel 7, the closing flap 17 is connected to this panel and is normally folded down at the rear behind rear panel 10, and has a band of paste 18 for sealing the closing flap and thereby sealing the envelop itself.

The end flaps 12 and 13 are for the present purpose made sufiiciently long to terminate just short of each other, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3, while upon the inside of rear panel 10 are arranged four vertical bands of paste or cement at 19, 20, 21 and 22, allowing the end flaps first to be folded inward and then the rear panel to be folded up outside these end flaps and finally pasted to these end flaps along two spaced apart bands on each flap. The result is that the two flaps 12 and 13 with front panel 7 form a main long chamber 23 within the front panel for receiving large inserts such as time cards, name and ration cards, so-called IBM cards which may or may not be punched in various significant ways. In addition, two relatively shorter chambers 24 and 25 are formed by flaps 12 and 13 with rear panel 10 between paste bands 19 and 20, and 21 and 22 for receiving smaller cards such as a gas ration or credit card indicated at 26, for example, shown in phantom view at 27 with the name of the party given credit at 28 and his number 29.

In the rear panel 10 is cut a second or rear window 30 of smaller extent than that of the front window 8, with the window panel 31 for this smaller window formed by the same sheet 9 as for the front window simply by having the transparent sheet sutficiently large to well cover both windows, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the sheet being pasted or cemented to the inside of both front and rear panels 7 and 10 and bent with them when they are folded along line 11 at the bottom of the envelop, as seen in Figure 4, for example.

In order to facilitate insertion and withdrawal of cards and inserts into and out of the chambers of the envelop, the end flaps have their upper edges cut down a short distance below the fold line 16 at 32 for inserts in larger chamber 23, and rear panel 10 is cut down to a further step below line 32, as seen in Figure 2. Furthermore, the end flaps also have finger cutouts 33, 34 for the smaller cards and inserts such as 26 to render it accessible in either chamber 24 or 25. However, as window 30 displays the name 28 and number or index 29 of cards 26 in right hand chamber 25, there is no need in some cases for a window also for chamber 24 at the left. The arrangement is such, that the customer first receives the envelop 6 and then at least a single gas or other credit card 26 of the character described and inserts it in rear chamber 25 so that his name and other identification shows through rear window 30. If he receives a further credit card, it will also hear similar identification with his name and goes into the other chamber 24. When he receives a special IBM card to cover his credit program, which is larger and naturally bears his name and identification as well, the customer can readily see at rear window 30 his name and number to make certain that the IBM card should go into the same envelop in front chamber 23. Further cards with his index and name may also be inserted in the rear chambers, as called for by his program, although the latter forms no actual part of this invention.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and features modified or used without others within the scope of the claim.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

A service envelope including an elongated front panel having an address window occupying a limited portion thereof and at the upper edge thereof a closing flap, an elongated rear panel connected to the front panel along the bottom edge of said front panel, a pair of opposite flaps connected to the opposite vertical side edges of the front panel forming end flaps for the envelope and folded inwardly upon said front panel and terminating mutually adjacent to each other to form a large, continuous elongated chamber between said end flaps and said front panel, two pairs of vertical paste bands upon the inner side of the rear panel serving to secure the same to the two end flaps when said rear panel is folded up exteriorly thereof with one pair of paste bands assigned to each end flap and providing two relatively smaller chambers between said end flaps and said rear panel independently References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rheutan Dec. 7, 1914 Lewis Apr. 7, 1931 

